Flush car-door.



E. W. HARTOUGH.

FLUSH CAR D008. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14. 1915.

Patented J an. 1, 1918.

'3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. w. HARTOUGH.

FLUSH CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1915.

Patented J an. 1, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- E. W. HARTOUGH.

FLUSH CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14- 1915.

l.- llll I Patented Jan.1,'1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3 'H IU W w I -1 H W I Wiieaag I TED STATES vIl ATENT FL EDWARD W. HAR'IOUGH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO OAMEL COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF I MAINE.

FLUSH CAR-DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 14, 1915. Serial No. 33,918

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD W. HAR- TOUGH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Flush Car-Doors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to sliding doors for box cars,.and the object of the invention is a door which 'fits squarely between the door posts and flush with the side of the car in closed position.

The invention consists in the arrangement of track, guides, stops, door lock and other details of the sliding door construction shown in the accompanying drawings, and hereinafter described. What the invention consists in is more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein the same reference characters designate like parts in the several views,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a box car, showing a door embodying the invention in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, part of the roof being removed to disclose the door track and door arrangement;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section through the side of the car and door, on the line 33 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating the invention applied to another type of box car;

Fig. 5 is a detail side View of the door locking device;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal cross-section through the side of the car and door, on the line 6-6 in Fig. 1; and I Fig. 7 is a plan view of the side plate and track, showing the relative positions of the door and rollers with respect to the track when the door is closed.

In Figs. 1. 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 the invention is shown applied to an ordinary wooden box car having wood siding 11 and roof sheathing 12, although it is not restricted to wooden cars. The siding is nailed at top and bottom to the side plate 13 and side sill 14, respectively, which are connected by the vertical door posts 15, and by the usual side posts and braces inside of the side sheathing. The

door 16 is suspended from a track 17 by means of two hangers 18, one at each upper corner of the door. The hangers are bolted to the outside face of the door, and project above the top of the door and edgewise beyond the ends of the door, and are provided with horizontal spindles projecting outwardly from their upper ends on which rollers or wheels 19 are journaled. The track 17 is channel shape'with the web vertical and the flanges facing in toward the side of the car. The upper flange has its edge bent up and secured to a spacing strip 20 which is nailed to the fascia board 21 along the eaves of the car. The rollers 19 run on the lower flange of the track, each roller having its own section of the track lengthwise thereof. and support the door clear of the side of the car except in closed position. The rollers are held on the track by inner guide strips 22, which are secured between the upper flange of the track and the spacing strip 20. and which project down along the inner edge of the top flange of the track.

At the front end. the track and guide strip are bent in toward the side of the car, and when the door is being closed. as the front roller approaches the front end of the track it is carried in toward the side of the car, thereby swinging the front end of the door into the door opening. In closed position the front end of the door brings up squarely against the front door post flush with the outside of the car. At the middle of the track. opposite the back door post. there is a switch portion 23 running in from the track toward the side of the car in a directionparallel to the front end of the track, and the rear roller runs on to this switch when the door is being closed, and is carried in toward the side of the car, thereby swinging the back end of the door into the door opening. The back end of the track beyond the path of travel of the back roller is bent in a ainst the side of the car in order to avoid a proiecting corner at the end of the track which might interfere with other equipment or obstructions along the right of way. The lower edges ofthe fascia board 21 and securing strip 20 are notched to receive the ends of the track and the switch.

The upper portion of the inside back edge of the door is beveled off at the same angle as that of the switch 23 in order to permit the upper corner of the door to clear the back door post. The lower edge of the door swings freely, and is guided clear of the car side and post by the Z-bar bottom strip 24. The web of the Z-bar is horizontal, fitting under the bottom edge of the door, with one flange secured to the lower front edge of the door, and the other flange projecting below the door opposite the edge of the car flooring boards Wear strips 26 are secured to the side of the car for the door to rub against in opening and closing. An angle clip or bracket :27 is secured to the back door post and side of the car below car below the middle of the door, and which can be swung up outside of the lower edge of the door and fastened to the door by means of a staple 29, to which it may be secured by a seal pin or by a padlock. The

staple 29 is secured to plate 30 which is sunk into the door to form a recess for the lever 28 and securing pin or padlock. In addition to the lever there is a securing rod 31 which is arranged longitudinally in the space below the bottom edge of the door in closed position, and which bears against the lower flange of the Z-bar and is held in place at the middle by the lever .28. The ends of the rod 31 are bent down to form cranks which are hinged to the side sill below the bottom edge of the lower flange of the Z-bar 24:. When the lever is unlocked and thrown down away from the door the rod 31 swings down out of the way of the door and rests on the tops of the short side sheathing boards 32 below the door opening. The lever 28 drops into a notch in the side sill where it is out of the way and protected from injury when the door is open.

The door has metal strips 33 s cured to its outer side along its front and back edges, which strips lap over the vertical joints between the ends of the door and the door posts 15 to keep out the weather. An angle bar 3 1 is secured along the top of the door against its inner side with the horizontal flange covering the top of the door and proj ecting outwardly below the track 17. This angle bar 3% stops water which may blow against the upper part of the door from finding its way over the top of the door and into the car. Horizontal angle bars 35 are arranged across the middle of the door to stiffen it. These angle bars 35 rub against the front of the back door post when the door is opened, and keep the middle portion of the door clear of the side of the car. ()ne of the angle bars 85 rubs against the middle wear strip 26.

A door stop consisting of an angle bracket 36 is secured to the inside of the door near its front edge with one leg projecting inwardly to engage against the front door step 37 ,to stop the travel of the door on its track at the end of its closing movement, and this same bracket 36 strikes against the back door post to stop the travel of the door at the end of its opening movement. To open the door the lever 28 is released, whereupon the bottom of the door will swing out, carrying with it the securing rod 31. The bottom of the door should swing clear of the back post so that the door can be shoved aside by a simple push, and the track will guide the top clear of the side of the car.

A header 38 is arranged across the top of the door opening between the door stops inch and the Z-bar 2% will support it from the side sill. The hangers 18 project up behind the track and will retain the top of the door in tight closed position whether it is supported on the rollers or on the side sill. The securing rod 31 will hold the bottom of the door in tight closed position so long as the lever :23 is locked up against it regardless of whether the door is supported on the track or on the side sill.

7 In Fig. a of the drawings the invention is shown applied to a car having a metal frame comprising a Z-bar side plate Q0. The web of the Z-bar side plate is vertical, with the top flange projecting inward and the bottom flange projecting outward. A horizontal metal plate ll is riveted to the outwardly projecting lower flange of the Z-bar side plate over the door opening and extending along the eaves of the car to one side of the door opening. The track 42 is channel shape with the web vertical and the flanges projecting inward, and the top flange is riveted to the under side of the plate 11. The track is bent in at the ends and provided with a switch 43, and the rollers for the door hangers roll on the lower flange of the track as in the construction shown in Fig. 3. The inner guide for the rollers is an angle iron lt, one leg of which is riveted to the under side of the plate 41 between it and the top flange of the track, and the other leg projects down inside of the roller pathway as in the construction shown in Fig. 3. The door opening may be framed in with wooden headers 45 and wooden stops 46 for the sides of the door. The operation of the door and fasteningmeans may be substantially the same as for the wooden car described above.

The invention isnot restricted to the details of construction shown and described.

- I claim the following as my invention:

1. A car door construction for freight cars comprising door posts having their adjacent sides substantially at right angles to the side of the car and forming a door opening, a track spaced from the side of the car above said opening and slanting out to one side thereof, a sliding door having its upper edge freely suspended from said track between it and the car side and adapted to slide lengthwise thereon into and out of said door opening, thelower edge of said door in closed position hanging out from the car side clear of said posts, and means for swinging the lower edge of said door sidewise into said opening and holding it between said door posts to retain the door flush in said opening in closed position. I

2. A car door construction for freight cars comprising door posts having their adjacent sides substantially at right angles to the side of the car and forming a door opening, a track secured alongside of the car and spaced therefrom above said opening and extending to one side thereof, said track having inwardly inclined portions near the door posts, a sliding door freely suspended from the inner side of said trackby means of hangers at its upper outer corners, said hangers having rollers arranged on said track, said rollers being spaced outside of the outer face of the door, the lower edge of said door being free to swing away from the car to clear the side posts in all positions of said door on said track to permit sliding said door along the track into and out of said door opening, and means to retain the lower edge of said door in said openingin closed position of the door to prevent sliding in either direction.

3. A car door construction for freight cars comprising'a side sill, side plate and door posts forming a door opening having all four sides square with the side of the car, a track above said opening and extending to one .side thereof, a sliding door freely suspended from said track by means of rollers at its upper corners, said rollers being spaced outside of the outer face of the door whereby the lower edge of said door swings away from the car in all positions of said door on said track, means for sliding said door along the track into said door opening, the inner corner of said door at its back edge being beveled off toward the top of the door whereby it escapes the door post, the bottom portion of the back edge of the door being square, and means to retain the lower edge of said door in said opening in closed posi tion of the door. I

4. A sliding freight. car door construction comprising a continuous track member securedabove the door opening and extending to one side thereof, said track member being spaced from the side of the car and having a clear space between it and the car for a door hanger and having its end bent toward the car at the front side of the door opening, and a switch track member secured to said continuous track member and running from said track member toward the car at the back side of the door opening.

5. A sliding freight car door construction comprising a track member of channel shape secured above the door opening with its web vertical and its flanges facing inward, the

lower flange of said track being spaced away from the side of the car, said track member being continuous and having its end bent toward the car at the front side of thedoor openingand a switch track running from said tracktoward the car at the back side of the door opening, said switch track being channel shape and having one end fitted in said main track and secured thereto.

6. Asliding freight car door construction comprising a track member secured above the door opening,a door having a hanger at each of its two uppercorners, rollers supporting said hangers-from said track, each roller running upon a separate section of said track separated by a switch, the front end of said track turning in toward the car and the switch turning in toward the car whereby the top edge of said door is swung toward the car when the door is moved shut, and means on said door for holding the bottom of said door away from the side of the car during the inward movement of the top toward closed position, whereby said door can be slid freely along said track into said opening.

7. A sliding freight car door construction comprising door posts square-with the side of the car forming a door opening, atrack continuous from end to end secured above the door opening and parallel tracks running at an angle less than 45 degrees from said track toward the respective door posts and a door supported by hangers at its corners running on said parallel tracks, said door having its front and back edges square, the inner corner of the back edge of said door being beveled off at the top on an angle the same as the angle of said parallel tracks to the main track, said bevel disappearing toward the bottom of the door.

8. A sliding car door freely supported on hangers from a track arranged above the door, the bottom of said door having a bar secured to it, said bar projecting down below the lower edge of said door, a securing rod arranged below said door, said rod having offset pivots at its ends with their axes in alinement parallel to the axis 'of said rod, said pivots being hinged to the side of the car below the lower edge of said bar, and means for securing said rod against the downwardly projecting portion of said bar.

9. A sliding car door freely supported on hangers from a track arranged above the door, the bottom of said door having an angle bar secured below it, one flange of said angle bar projecting down along the inside face of said door, a securing rod arranged in the space below said door in front of said angle bar, said rod having offset pivots at its ends with their axes in alinement parallel to theaxis of said bar, said pivots being hinged to the side of the car below said door, and means for securing said rod against the downwardly projecting flange of said angle bar, said securing means being arranged within the outside face of the door in closed position. i

10. A sliding car door freely supported on hangers from a track arranged above the door, the bottom of said door having an angle bar secured below it, one flange of said angle bar projecting down along the inside face of said door, a securing rod arranged in the space below said door in front of said angle bar, and means for securing said rod against the downwardly projecting flange of said angle bar, said securing means being arranged within the outside face of the door in closed position.

11. A car door construction for freight cars comprising a side sill, side plate and door posts forming a door opening, a track above said opening and extending to one side thereof, a sliding door freely suspended from said track by means of rollers at its upper corners, said rollers being guided toward the side of the car at the end of the closing movement of the 'door and away from the side of the car at the beginning of the opening movement of said door whereby the top of said door is carried freely into and out of said door opening and cooperating means for swinging the bottom of said door into said opening in closed position, said means holding the bottom of said door out of said opening in all moved positions of the door on the track away from closed position.

12. A flush car door construction for freight cars comprising a door opening, a track above said opening and extending to one side thereof, a sliding door freely suspended from said track with its lower edge hanging out, means on said'door cooperating with said track for sliding the top edge of said door into said door opening and flush with the side of the car, and a stop secured to the inside of the door below its-top edge and having an inwardly projecting arm adapted to contact with the respective'sides of the door opening to stop the outwardly hanging lower portion of the door in open and in closed positions.

18. A flush car door construction for freight cars comprising a door opening, a track above said opening and extending to one side thereof, a sliding door freely suspended from said track with its lower edge hanging out, means on said door cooperating with said track for sliding the top edge of said door into said door opening and flush with the side of the car at the top, means on said door for guiding said door out of said opening, and a stop secured to the inside of the door below the top and adapted to contact with. the front and back door'posts to prevent the over travel of the outwardly hanging lower portion of said door in either direction.

14. A sliding freight car door construcion comprising a track member of channel shape secured above the door opening with its web vertical and its flanges facing inward, the lower flange being spaced from the car and constituting a track for a door hanger, said track member being continuous and having lateral track portions extending toward the car at the front side of the door opening and at the back side of the door opening, and hanger guide strips arranged along the inner edge of said track and secured to the inner edge of one of said flanges and to said lateral track portions which extend toward the car. i V

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 11th day of June, 1915.

EDWARD W. HARTOUGH.

(iopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

